


Too Little Too Late

by bornforwar_archivist



Category: Dark Angel
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2006-12-31
Updated: 2006-12-31
Packaged: 2018-10-09 11:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10410810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bornforwar_archivist/pseuds/bornforwar_archivist
Summary: By Serenity Wintirs. Post Freak Nation. Max contemplates TC, Logan and...Alec? But will she finally make up her mind about him before he leaves for good?





	

**Author's Note:**

> _Note from Delenn, the archivist: this story was originally archived at[Born For War](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Born_For_War), which closed in 2015. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in March 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Born For War collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bornforwar)._
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own 'em; nothing to do with me. 
> 
> Summary: Post Freak Nation. Max contemplates TC, Logan and...Alec? But will she finally make up her mind about him before he leaves for good?

Since the first day she had seen him. Since she had first seen him and felt that undeniable connection and overwhelming passion. That is how long a part of her had loved him. Okay, so the connection she had felt was for the man she had believed to be her brother and the passion was incredible annoyance, but all relationships have problems right? Maybe even back then a part of her had known something. Felt a tiny spark somewhere in the buried, distant recesses of her heart.

And anyway, what did it matter? All that did matter was that she realized her feelings for what they truly were. Max had finally come to accept that she was irrevocably in love with a certain annoying honest transgenic she had named Alec.

And now he was leaving and it was all because of her and her stupid pride. Max slowly turned from the mirror that she was leaning over as she stared at her reflection and wondered how the hell she had become so cold and out of touch. When had her heart just shut down and turned to ice?

Maybe it was when Alec had first confessed his feelings toward her. But even then she was to dead inside to do anything about it. To feel anything back. Or at least she had thought so at the time. But she was so terribly cold and he was lonely so she had given in to him, time and again, not really caring if he knew that she wasn't really there. Not the part that counted anyway.

And if he did know, he never said anything. Probably too afraid of losing her for good. Fear did funny things to a person and Max knew that over the last few years of running Terminal City, fear and fatigue had taken it's toll on him. Both of them.

Not what you would expect from a highly trained soldier, but watching each of your friends fall in battle one by one, will do that to even the most enervated of heart. And Alec, with his cocky grin and vast multitude of incisive remarks, was no exception.

Or maybe Max's long held indifference was best blamed on Logan. Logan and his black and white views on what is and isn't right. Logan and his self-serving love for her. Logan and his betrayal of Terminal City and all that she held dear once upon a time. There was a time when Max would have said that Logan's love for her was the most important thing in her world.

But how could have she have possibly known that it would be that very love that would rip her carefully resurrected sanctuary into pieces? Could anyone really have guessed that one tiny mistake from a few X7's would forever jeopardize the transgenics newly peaceful existence and that Logan's aforementioned black and white views on what is and isn't right would flip the whole situation around until there was nothing left but ashes? Funny how clearly she still remembers the confrontation during quiet, reflective moments like these.

 _"Max, you can't just pretend that it didn't happen," Logan's voice sternly berated her, challenging her own principles in ways that he had no right to do._  
"You think I don't know that?" she snapped back with wide, angry eyes, forcing forth a resolution that was no longer there.  
"But if this gets out right now, it will cause total pandemonium. If If you think that the humans refused to accept us before, just wait until they hear about this. Now I have worked too damn hard to keep everything under control to just throw it all away on one stupid mistake."

_  
"Max, someone died! How do you expect me to just ignore that? Now I have stuck by you through this whole thing but I can't hide what happened for those delinquents in there." Max stared at him carefully for a few moments, feeling a sting of hurt at his words, quickly replaced by anger._

_"I don't expect you to hide anything, I expect you to let me handle this on my own. Now those 'delinquents are just a couple of confused kids that did something really stupid and immature and it got out of hand. They have already been severely reprimanded so that this sort of thing doesn't happen again and I promise you that I fully intend to go to the police with this, but I just need a few days," Max said angrily, but with a soft pleading tone in her voice. Still, a part of her couldn't help but wonder if the reason he was getting so upset was because the man that had been killed had been human as opposed to another transgenic._

_"But if we do anything right now, we give away our location to White for sure and there is no way that we are prepared to deal with him and the anti-mutant groups at the same time. So please Logan, just let me handle this?" Max's eyes softened with fear and desperation, something she didn't like having to do at all. "Please just trust me Logan."_

_Logan eyed her skeptically, hating that she was asking him to ignore his morals, even if it was just for a few days. Despite his resolve, he really did consider it. But in the end, he just couldn't. "I'm sorry Max, but I can't. I know that what happened was an unfortunate accident and I hate that I have to say this, but if you don't go to the police, then I will."_

And he had. Just like that, without a second thought or care that he was not only jeopardizing the lives of everyone in Terminal City, but also the life of the girl that he has claimed to love for the last three years. Maybe it was the virus that had damaged their relationship beyond repair. Or maybe it was the simple fact that Logan was a human and no matter what, his loyalty would always be with his own kind.

There were times that Max had felt sorry for him. Living in TC, away from his own kind for the last few years. It must have worn on him too. But the fact remained that putting everyone's life at risk just because a few hungry transgenic kids looking for food, had unknowingly broke into the home of a fanatical mutant hater who had been ready to shoot the moment he saw barcodes, was unforgivable.

Especially since that was the beginning of the end of Terminal City and many of the mutants who had come there seeking liberation and freedom. And those that had lived the battles had blamed her. Logan was her lover after all. She had been the only one at TC that had ever really trusted him and the moment that trust was betrayed, all trust that the other transgenics had held for Max went right out the window with it. Yep, everyone had turned from her, just like that. All except Alec that is. Max smiled fondly at the thought. Her first real smile in months.

And now Alec was leaving. How could she have ever let things get this bad? TC was in in even worse ruins than before, most everyone was dead, Logan had betrayed them, White was closing in on them again, the normals hated them even more than before, Max was an overthrown leader, and Alec was leaving. Alec was leaving. The thought repeated over and over in Max's head like a litany and her heart gave a weak, painful squeeze.

Or maybe it was just the ice around it finally starting to crack and shatter. At least she now knew that she still had one. But what she didn't know was why she was still standing here overanalyzing everything to death. Alec was leaving. Maybe for good. She had... she had to stop him. Finally coming to a decision, Max ran out of her apartment and climbed onto her Ninja.

  
  


To Be Continued

 


End file.
